"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of Netflix and off various columns highlighting new movies as well.

John, Ms. Merrywood, and Tamara have all led sinful lives. On
the eve of their destruction, they go to hell where they must endure the
punishment for their crimes.

My very first thought while I was watching was, “what the
fuck is happening on my screen?” After a little bit of plot and a couple of
songs, I got sucked in.

It’s important to note that this is a musical. Not a musical
the way Frozen is a musical. With
movies like Frozen, you don’t
necessarily have to be a hardcore fan of musicals. The story and plot are
bolstered by the songs, but would be strong without them. The Devil’s Carnival is a hardcore musical. Only true fans of the
genre will enjoy it. The music is an absolute necessity and takes up the
majority of the film.

I happen to like musicals.

The plot is based around an interpretation of hell as a
carnival. The lost souls are tortured through various staged versions of Aesop’s
Fables. It’s an interesting take on some very familiar stories.

According to IMDB, Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Repo! The Genetic Opera, 11-11-11) and Terrance Zdunich (Repo! The Genetic Opera, Art Department:
Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers
Chronicles, Art Department: What We
Do Is Secret) have indicated that this is only part 1 of the story. In
fact, part 2 already exists (The Devil’s
Carnival: Alleluia!) and part 3 is rumored to have already been written.

Once a month we get the obligatory action movie starring an
old male actor. This month we have Outcast
starring Nicolas Cage (Rage, The Frozen
Ground, Season of the Witch), which has a fantasy flair, and Focus starring Will Smith (After Earth, Men in Black, I Am Legend),
who’s not really old, but is getting there… though I still love him. Neither of
those films made the top 10 this month. It feels good to replace that spot with
a familiar female face instead.

Salma Hayek (30 Rock,
Grown Ups, Dogma) is a great actress and I can’t wait to see her kicking
some ass.

The thriller genre doesn’t intersect with comedy as much as
I would like it to. Then again, I like a little comedy woven into almost
anything. Keyword there is: almost.

In this case, The
Voices looks hilariously awesome. Granted, there’s the possibility that the
movie could go too far and into an area of ridiculous that there’s no coming
back from. On the other side of the coin the movie might not go far enough and
might miss the chance to use the comedy in order to highlight the thrills.

I enjoy Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool,
R.I.P.D., The Proposal), but his movies are hit or miss. None-the-less, I
believe this one is worth a shot.

I could pretend it has nothing to do with Anna Kendrick (Into the Woods, Life After Beth, Pitch
Perfect), but she’s a fucking goddess.

I have no interest in the Fifty Shades books. I attempted to read them but I find the writing
style atrocious. Possibly because of that, I’ve had a complete lack of interest
in the movie.

Until I saw the trailer.

Now, the trailer isn’t amazing, but it is interesting. It
kind of reminds me a bit of Secretary
(2002). I very much enjoyed that movie and it made me curious about Fifty Shades.

I have no idea how the movie escaped an NC-17 rating and I don’t
want to know what the term “tampon sex-scene” means. Still, I begrudgingly admit
a mild interest in this film; at the very least, a morbid curiosity.

The trailer makes this movie look like it is going to be
ridiculously funny, but there’s a catch.

I wanted to see this film so much more before I researched
it.

Apparently, this movie has been in production since 2008.
Ok, that’s a bit incorrect. It started filming in 2008 and stopped filming soon
after and was shelved. Apparently the producers failed to pay the actors. The
director, David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, The Fighter), disowned the film and most of the actors quit.

Aside from the ethical issues I’m now having with the
release of the film, it’s come to my attention that filming was never
completed. Whatever movie is coming out with this title, seven years after
starting to film, is not the movie that was supposed to exist. There are rumors
that parts of the main plot, necessary parts, were not filmed. Which makes me
think the movie might not be as great as the trailer makes it look.

Accidental Love
was originally number 5 on this list, until I found out all the
behind-the-scenes stuff. The only reason it’s still so high is because I’m
hoping the rumors aren’t true. It’s got a great cast and a unique storyline.

I enjoy musicals. I have since I first watched A Chorus Line (1985) with my mom. I’m
always a tiny bit thrilled when one makes it to the big screen now-a-days. This
one seems even more interesting than most. It’s based more in reality than the
fantasy musicals, like Into the Woods,
and it’s not a Disney cartoon.

There’s something terrifying about the afterlife. Possibly
because I have a significantly bleak belief of what happens after death.

Olivia Wilde (Rush,
Drinking Buddies, House) and Evan Peters (Kick-Ass, X-Men: Days of Future Past, American Horror Story) are
outstanding actors. Add to that the biblical zombie/demon-type story and I
think there’s a lot of potential in this film.

Jupiter Ascending
had a delayed release. Unlike Accidental
Love, there was no real drama behind the delay. It was supposed to come out
in June 2014, but the post-production was more involved than they’d expected
and they simply needed more time.

I’m so glad there’s nothing more behind that, because I
really don’t want anything to lessen my desire to see this film.

Just as it was nice to see a female action hero this month,
it was also nice to see a relatively new face entering the spy world. Taron
Egerton (Testament of Youth, The Smoke,
Inspector Lewis) is new to the scene, but he beat out plenty of other
actors for the part, so it’s easy to expect something great from him.

That may be a reason this film made the list, but it has
nothing to do with why it’s so high up.

The actor I’m most looking forward to seeing in this film is
Michael Caine (Interstellar, Now You See
Me, The Dark Knight Rises). He’s returning to the spy game and I can’t wait
to see that. In the 60’s, his trio of Harry Palmer films (The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, Billion Dollar Brain) were a
sight to behold.

Aside from that, the movie is being directed by Matthew
Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Stardust,
Layer Cake) and is based off a comic book created by Mark Millar (Superman: Red Son, Wanted, Ultimate Avengers).
Why does that sound familiar? Does Kick-Ass
ring a bell?

The trailer looks amazing. It’s like a trip back in time to
when the Bond movies had a campy flair to them; before they became super
serious. I miss that kind of spy film.

It also doesn’t skimp on any of that badass nature. We’re
going to see some awesome gadgets in Kingman:
poison pens, exploding silicon microchips, bladed metal artificial legs, a
firing umbrella, and so much more.

There’s no long, involved, story for why this movie made my
list. I thoroughly enjoyed the first Hot
Tub Time Machine. It was hilarious and I expect nothing less from the
sequel.

I have one gripe. It bothers me that John Cusack (Drive Hard, Hot Tub Time Machine, Grosse
Pointe Blank) wasn’t even approached to reprise his role. What the hell is
that? A little Cusack makes everything better.